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Planning 2017 Greek Isles Trip

I am planning a 12 day trip to Greece in June, 2017, and intend to spend approximately 10 days at approximately three islands and 2 days in Athens. Will arrive at Athens airport at approximately 0300.

The current flexible plan is to travel to Santorini as soon as possible and work my way back for the final two days in Athens. Not sure whether to fly or take ferry to Santorini. Intend to spend three additional days after arrival day in Santorini, next three days at an undetermined island and then three at Mykonos. The last two days will be in Athens, followed by a departure day.

As our party will include mostly first time visitors to Greece, I would generally like to visit popular, easily accessible tourist sites that will not take a lot of extra time to get to. For that reason, I would like to visit Santorini and Mykonos, but could rearrange (shorten) the planned time at these islands, particularly Mykonos. For the third island, I understand that Naxos & Paros are between these and make sense as a stop. But at the same time, without ever having visited Naxos or Paros, I would like to visit a laid back, relaxing, safe, authentic and of course beautiful island with beautiful beaches that is fairly easy to get to, and between Santorini and Mykonos. I don’t know if this exists, or if Naxos or Paros would fit the bill.

I am trying to create a firmer trip framework, but the trip is not for another 10 months. I am not sure when I will be able to make certain arrangements within Greece, so I have a few questions:

1) I am not sure about appropriate time frames for each location. Any suggestions?
2) In light of early arrival time and traveler fatigue, would a ferry or flight to Santorini be best? I understand that you can get a 4 person sleeping cabin on the slow ferry, which might leave at about 0730 and arrive at about 15:00, which would allow for some rest. Or would it be better to catch the earliest possible flight and get to Santorini as quickly as possible? You probably couldn’t check into a hotel until much later, so getting there quickly may not be such a benefit.
3) Will the prices of a sleeping cabin be similar to a flight? How soon can I book a flight or ferry? I cant seem to do so over the internet yet.
4) If I take a ferry, I understand that it may be best to take bus X96 from the airport to Piraeus, which may take about 45 minutes. Would a taxi be better? How much more would a taxi cost? Any suggestions?
5) If I fly, would it be from the same airport and when would the earliest flight be? The best airline?
6) How late can I wait to schedule inter-island ferrys? Can I do it over the internet?

1) Too little time in ATH and too many islands for such a short trip
2) I would recommend a flight because you have so little time overall in Greece.
3) No idea on price comparisons, some flights are bookable for ATH-JTR, check Ryanair, for other airlines it is too early.
5) Flights are from the same apts (ATH-JTR), not all flight schedules are published for Jun 2017. Airlines that fly the route are Ryanair, Volotea, Aegean, Ellinair, only Ryanair has schedules for Jun 2017 so far.

Regarding flight vs ferry to Santorini, the 0730 Blue Star with a shared 4 berth cabin would most likely work out cheaper per person than a flight, but will you arrive in Athens early enough to catch it? If you arrive on one day and have to wait until the next for the ferry, you have already lost a day from your short island itinerary before even getting started. Flights leave several times each day, and arrive on Santorini 50 minutes later.

IMO you don't have enough time for 3 islands, so you should stick to Santorini and Mykonos or drop one of those islands in favour of Naxos or Paros. With Santorini and Mykonos you will go to the two most expensive and touristy islands in Greece, and encounter mostly other foreign visitors, including many cruise ship passengers.

Personally, as a first time visitor I would choose Santorini and Naxos, and drop Mykonos. Naxos has beautiful beaches, a laid back main town, and interesting mountain villages little touched by tourism.

If you enjoy swimming. I'd like to let you know that the waters in Naxos were freezing in the beginning of September. It was also so windy that we almost blew away! I don't know if this is the usual but I was disappointed because I so wanted to float around in the water. We went to the black sand beach in Santorini and found that to be a little warmer.

Hi Debbielynn, you wrote: "I'd like to let you know that the waters in Naxos were freezing in the beginning of September."

That surprises me, because in early September the water has been warmed by the sun all summer. The warmest water is in sheltered bays with little current. Apart from that, sea temperatures vary little from island to island, and are much the same on Santorini, Naxos, and Mykonos.

During the first week of September this year there were Force 6 winds all over the Cyclades Islands. Windstorms stir up the water and cause surface temperatures to drop, so sea temperatures can change from one day to the next even on the same beach. The Aegean Sea is never as warm as tropical waters.

Sluggo27, in June winds are usually calmer, but seawater cooler. Expect sea temperatures of around 70°F, maybe a little warmer in sheltered bays.

Heimdall, I was very surprised at the temperatures too but like you said, the winds probably had something to do with it. The water seems to be warmer off the mainland as we went to a beach outside of Nafplio and the water was comfortable. I floated for hours.

The early morning ferry departure will be with the Blue Star Ferry Company. They have a website where you can book the cabin and check pricing against flight fares: http://tinyurl.com/hr4n6ka
3 days on Santorini will fly by. I actually recommend you stay there longer if possible, and eliminate Mykonos unless you're going there for the party atmosphere. Not only will it be extremely crowded but it's very expensive there. That said, use the filter sytem at www.booking.com to find your accomodations. It may be too soon to book for July. If it's too early it may say something like 'no longer available' so keep trying until the system responds.
Aegean Airlines and Ryan Air are the airlines that fly from Athens. Check for flights and fares here: http://tinyurl.com/gksydhc Yes, it's the same airport. ATH is not huge and easy to navigate.
I think the 4-bed cabin (€64 per person) makes the best sense and will cost you less money unless you get lucky with an airfare discount sale. You'll arrive refreshed and ready to explore. Flying out on the first plane means no hotel check-in until as late as 2pm, depending on your Santorini hotel.
The X96 takes about 60 minutes, not 45. The taxi fare is €53 for up to 4 people, or €65 before 5am. Bus fare is €6 per person.
10 months from now means next July which is the busiest time of the year in Greece. The cabins will be booked up fairly quickly so book yours as soon as you can make the commitment.

Thank you everyone, your advice is greatly appreciated! The trip will be in June (2d half). I expected that the water would be warm enough to swim in, but now I am questioning that. It seems like some believe that 2 islands might be better than 3, based on the schedule. This makes sense, and Santorini and Naxos or Paros seem like a good call, if you say so. Which one (Naxos or Paros) would be best? Thanks again.

Also, would a Greek travel agent be worthwhile for hotels and inter-greece travel, or would I do just as well booking myself?

Sluggo, the reason I mentioned that you also posted on TA is that in a conversation it is useful to hear what others are saying. Some of us participate in all those forums, while others don't. If I answer on one forum I try not to answer on the other.

Regarding Paros vs Naxos, either would be a good choice. I happen to go to Antiparos, which is a small island joined with Paros by a seven minute ferry crossing, so you have the benefit of both islands when you stay on either.

In my earlier post I recommended Naxos, which I believe is a better choice for first-timers. Paros has some advantages, though, including a new airport with larger planes than those that fly out of Naxos.

We did a similar trip a few years back. We knew we wanted Santorini but couldn't decide between Naxos and Paros (we decided against Mykonos early in our planning for the reasons stated above). Anyway, we were thinking 3 nights on each of two islands but decided on 2 nights each on Santorini, Naxos and Paros and we were very happy with our choice. Could we have used more time on any of them - of course. But with that amount of time we felt we saw a good bit and did not feel rushed. Taking the ferry between them is so much nicer than taking a train or flight between places that it didn't feel the same as some trips when moving every two nights feels rushed.

Again, thanks for the excellent suggestions. Heimdall I didnt realize that Mykonos and Delos were close enough to Naxos/Paros to make a day excursion to them. That way, I could possibly check them off the list without wasting a lot of time and incurring a lot of additional expenses. Isabel, your pictures are very artistic and I read your whole trip report, which is very helpful and informative.

Sluggo, the reason that day-excursion to Mykonos/Delos is possible is because there is an excursion company which has 2 dedicated excursion vessels .... that's why it works. Regular ferries don't leave early enough and come back late enough to allow adequate time. Stop in any Naxos or Paros agency on the waterside and ask about the Delos-Mykonos day trips. The 2 vessels are Naxos Star and MV Alexander ... I recommend the latter becase it's larger, and a smoother ride. These trips go 3-4 times a week ... it's a good idea to check the weather forecast the day before, and THEn make your reservation.

For a first timer to these isles, I also recommend Naxos over Paros, since your Greece visit is short, and ambitious. And YES, fly to Santorini (50 minutes vs 9 hours)... there are many flights per day... get a flight from N. America that arrives by 10 am or so, &youll have wide choice of flights to Santorini... if you sign up for Aegean's e-mail (they call it signing up for an account), in Early spring they start advertising promotional-price flights and you may be able to get a flight that's actually cheaper than a 9 hr ride on Blue Star Ferry.

The excursion boats are fairly small, so if you are prone to seasickness they won't be very much fun on a windy day if the seas are at all choppy. They start on Naxos then go to Paros before continuing on to Delos, so the trip is shorter by an hour each way if you're staying on Paros.....something to consider.

Fortunately, the OP is going to Greece in June, which is THE calmest month of the year on the Aegean, as far as I've been able to find records, and from my experience of 11 trips in late May thru mid-June. Those Meltemi winds start pretty much in July.. Friends of mine who've take the MV Alexander to Santo and to Mykonos have had no trouble at all.

MV Alexander and Naxos Star are both the same length (135 ft), but Alexander is a catamaran, which means it rolls less in heavy seas than Naxos Star, a monohull. Alexander and Naxos Star pick up passengers at both Naxos and Paros, starting at Naxos first. That adds about 1½ hrs at sea to the trip from Naxos.

Not sure where travelerjan read "June, which is THE calmest month of the year on the Aegean", because that's really not true. July and August have the strongest Meltemi winds, followed by June and September. The winds are a good thing, though, because that's what keeps the Cyclades cooler than the mainland.

Last year was our 3rd visit to Greece. As I plan early I went on Matt Barrettts site for helpful info. I was having a hard time finding available rooms so I went with a Greek travel company. I think it was Fantasy Travel. Where I couldnt get flights they found them.
Per advise from this site I went right to the Island-Naxos this time & we spent a week there. The day trip to Delos & Mykinos was 10 hours but well worth it.
Naxos is one of the few islands that is completly self sufficient
We stayed 5 nights in Athens in The Plaka which I adore. We got a lovely place on airbnb with a terrace that looked up to The Acropolis
WE went in September which is my favorite time to go to Europe
Enjoy Greece-You will be back